Imperial College London vs UCL:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, UCL had more branded searches than Imperial College London among globally sought UK universities worldwide. UCL was estimated to have 101K branded searches compared to Imperial College London’s 13.5K, and held a 6.8% Share of Search versus Imperial College London’s 0.91%. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, Imperial College London or UCL?
Internationally recognized universities in the United Kingdom, compared through worldwide branded search interest using English-curated terms. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of Search by month for UCL, Imperial College London. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | University of Edinburgh | University of Oxford | London School of Economics | University of Manchester | University of Cambridge | University of Warwick | University of Bristol | UCL | Imperial College London | King's College London |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 17.4% | 12.4% | 14.2% | 14.2% | 9.5% | 17.4% | 7.8% | 5.8% | 0.74% | 0.57% |
| Nov 2025 | 20.1% | 14.2% | 13.4% | 13.4% | 11% | 13.4% | 7.3% | 5.5% | 0.73% | 0.81% |
| Dec 2025 | 20.1% | 14.3% | 13.5% | 13.5% | 11% | 11% | 9% | 6% | 1% | 0.66% |
| Jan 2026 | 16.9% | 14.7% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 11.4% | 13.8% | 7.6% | 6.2% | 0.88% | 0.83% |
| Feb 2026 | 18.4% | 13.1% | 15.1% | 15.1% | 10.1% | 12.4% | 8.2% | 6.2% | 0.82% | 0.61% |
| Mar 2026 | 17.6% | 15.3% | 14.4% | 14.4% | 9.7% | 11.8% | 7.9% | 7.2% | 0.97% | 0.71% |
| Apr 2026 | 18.3% | 15.7% | 15% | 15% | 10.1% | 10.1% | 6.7% | 7.5% | 0.82% | 0.74% |
| May 2026 | 21.7% | 15.2% | 14.5% | 11.9% | 9.7% | 11.9% | 6.5% | 7.3% | 0.79% | 0.71% |
| Jun 2026 | 17.9% | 15.4% | 14.6% | 14.6% | 9.8% | 12% | 8% | 6% | 0.93% | 0.59% |
| Jul 2026 | 18.6% | 15.8% | 15.2% | 15.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 6.9% | 6.3% | 0.83% | 0.61% |
| Aug 2026 | 20.3% | 14.4% | 13.6% | 13.6% | 11.1% | 11.1% | 7.4% | 6.8% | 0.91% | 0.82% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Imperial College London and UCL comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- UCL was ahead of Imperial College London in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Imperial College London’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide moved from 0.74% to 0.91%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 12.8K to 13.5K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UCL’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide moved from 5.8% to 6.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 101K.
How did search popularity change for globally sought UK universities worldwide in August 2026?
1 change
In August 2026, UCL gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 6.3% to 6.8%.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Imperial College London’s and UCL’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Imperial College London
3 branded search terms
- imperial college london
- imperial london
- imperial university
UCL
3 branded search terms
- ucl london
- ucl university
- university college london
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